Where do you buy most your knives?

R

ravenQ8

Joined
Jan 2, 2002
Messages
208
Knife shows?
Gun shows?
Retail stores?
Internet?


Except for the cheap arab crap and a few Bucks and Schrades at the PX I'm limited to the internet. Last night at the embassy a guy was telling me about Tennessee Mountain Knives and their enormous store near Dollyworld. Was he thinking of Smokey Mountain?
 
The way I see it, the internet cannot be beaten in prices, selection, and convenience. I almost always order from a site like discountknives or from a cutlery store on ebay.
 
I agree about the cheap prices but its nice to handle the real thing and compare then surf the net for the best price.
 
Internet for prices and variety! Though going into a gun/knife shop cannot be beaten. Raven I'm pretty sure thet the guy was thinking of Smoky Mountain.
 
While I've ordered most of mine over the Internet, the breakdown for the knives I have right now is spread pretty much equally over all sources.

Chris
 
I also buy most of my knives online from a small group of dealers I have come to trust. I do buy from the Smokey Mountain , Cutlery Shoppe and A.G. Russell catalogs on occasion.
 
In the last five years I have purchased 32 knives. Three were production knives, and the balance were 'custom' knives:

Production: 9%
Custom: 91%

Where purchased:

from maker at show: 44%
ordered from maker: 6%
dealer via internet: 35%
dealer at show: 9%
retail store: 6%
 
I order all of my knives directly from the makers. I prefer dealing in this way because I am much more involved in the final knife that I end up with. I also really enjoy getting to know the makers. So far they have all turned out to be about as good a bunch of people as you would ever want to know.
 
Pretty much from myself these days. :D

In the past it was almost always over the internet. The selection and prices can't be beat. Top of Texas Knives got most of my business.

I bought customs from places like BladeArt or Les Robertson, but usually from people selling them right here on Bladeforums.
 
I used to do a lot of buying from Auctions, such as ebay, and bladeauction.com. Nowadays, it seems like most of my knives come from people here on the forums. I've occasionaly bought from internet dealers, although those purchases are few and far between.

Breakdown of knives I now own:
auctions: 7
fellow forum members: 8
online stores: 3
gifts: 5
catalogs: 5
custom from maker: 1

That's a rough estimate, based on my recollection of what I currently own.

DD
 
Originally posted by ravenQ8
I agree about the cheap prices but its nice to handle the real thing and compare then surf the net for the best price.
Click to expand...


Riiiight! Don't forget to go back and show off each knife to the salesman in the store and brag about the hot deal you got. They really appreciate that. And when they go under you can post on here bemoaning the lack of B&M stores in your area.

GronK
 
I have purchased knives online...from Bayou Lafourche, the Blade Matrix, Knifecenter.com and A.G. Russell. AGR is almost always the highest price online.

Have also gotten a few from Ebay auctions and direct from the maker.

When you compare online prices with retail walk-in stores, you will know why the retail stores' days are numbered.

Don Adelfson
Oceanside, CA
 
GronK: Sorry but there are a lot of people after my money. I know a lot of mom and pop shops get run out of business by the WalMarts of the world but we run on capitalism and competition not charity. If that local shop gives me something else of value like customer service that the internet can't then I'll deal with them and pay the higher price. But many small businesses are using the internet and giving good service too. I don't like seeing a small businessman hurt but I don't think paying the lowest price for the same product makes me a bad guy.
 
My production knives have been purchased soley over the Internet.

As far as custom knives. . . Approx. 60% were ordered from the makers, 35% from other "gathers" and or Internet dealers and 2 or 3 were bought at knife shows. :D
 
Originally posted by ravenQ8
I don't think paying the lowest price for the same product makes me a bad guy.
Click to expand...

If it did, there'd be a bunch of "bad guys" here including me. What some would considered not all that good is when you use a man's time and handle his merchandise knowing full well you'll be buying on the net.

Guess I'm more sensitive than most on this subject because I watched the demise of another type of specialty retail from the inside. Anyone remember stereo shops?

GronK
 
Mostly from internet dealers. I buy in B & M stores occaisionally. My "customs" have been bought/ordered straight from the maker.

Paul
 
Just picked up a Chive for $34 from a B & M. On the way home from work, even. :) Best prices I found online were $29 + shipping. I like this.

They sell Sharpfingers for $19. ;)

-- PG
 
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